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A. absinthium is a suffruticose perennial, two to five feet tall, with many branching stems. Artemisia absinthium is a member of the composite family (compositae: Anthemideae).

The perennial habit is due to buds on the short, branching rootstocks that extend out from the over-wintering woody crown, protruding new shoots each year (Wrage and Kinch 1973). The stems are clumped and woody at the base (Mitich 1975).